The Birth of a Nation: Projecting Jim Crow | Birth of a Movement

In this media gallery from INDEPENDENT LENS: "Birth of a Movement" students examine the simultaneous rise of Jim Crow segregation and motion picture technology. The segment features historians discussing early forms of cinema, and the shift in portrayals of African Americans that occurred with the advent of film projection. The support materials can be used to introduce students to the stereotypical African American fictional characters that emerged after the Civil War and can help them draw parallels to common images of African Americans in today’s media.

Educator Advisory: Some terms included in this essay are viewed as insensitive and inflammatory. Use of this resource is recommended only for educators who have established a respectful and inclusive classroom environment with rules and procedures for discussing controversial topics. Please see the “Teaching Tips” section for additional information.

A stereotype is a fixed and widely held belief, often about a particular group of people. When someone believes in a stereotype, they assume that a member of the group in question will behave in a certain way and display specific characteristics. Although some members of a group may have one or more characteristics in common with the group’s stereotype, it is important to remember that stereotypes are always oversimplifications—they can never represent the complex nature of an individual. Stereotypes have existed throughout history, and are still common today. Groups may be stereotyped based on any number of traits, including ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation, among others. Stereotypes of marginalized groups are especially dangerous, as they are often negative and can lead to further discrimination and oppression.

African Americans have been stereotyped in the United States since the beginning of the slave trade in North America. After the Civil War, during Reconstruction, and into the 20th century, a variety of new stereotypes emerged, each representing a different set of beliefs about the nature and role of African Americans after emancipation. Seven of the most common stereotypes are listed below.

Mammy

The Mammy is a nanny and/or housekeeper for a white family. Mammies are generally depicted as older, dark skinned, heavyset women with their hair tied up in a kerchief. They are portrayed as loyal, kind, maternal, and obedient to their owners/employers.

Black Buck

The Black Buck is physically imposing—muscular and tall. He is impulsive, violent and sexually-driven—he is attracted to white women especially. He does not respect authority figures and attempts to reform him usually fail—thus the only way to control him is through imprisonment or execution.

Sapphire

A Sapphire is an overbearing, loud, stubborn woman who constantly nags and complains about the men in her life. She is portrayed as physically strong, aggressive, and hypersensitive to criticism.

Coon

The Coon is a lazy, slow-talking, easily frightened, foolish character. Although he is an adult he may behave in a child-like manner, and avoids adult responsibilities. He dresses like a “dandy” and believes in his own intelligence, but he is given to making up and mispronouncing words, and using faulty logic, reaffirming white ideas about black intellectual inferiority.

Jezebel

The Jezebel is hypersexual, seductive, and lewd—the opposite of the Victorian ideal of chaste white womanhood.

Tom

The Tom (or Uncle Tom) stereotype originated in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He is happy and faithful to his white owners/employers. He is usually portrayed as older, physically weak, dark-skinned, wide-eyed and smiling.

Tragic Mulatta

The Tragic Mulatta is biracial character who is emotionally disturbed because of the conflicting impulses that come from her mixed heritage. Often portrayed as a woman, the Tragic Mulatta is on the one hand well mannered, intelligent, and ambitious—supposedly because of her white ancestry—yet emotional, sex-obsessed, and deceptive—supposedly because of her Black background. The tragedy occurs when this character cannot endure the psychological damage caused by her “split” identity, leading to self-hatred, alcoholism, depression, and even suicide.

Many believe that these stereotypes have consciously and subconsciously shaped society’s ideas, contributing to prejudice, oppression, and even violence against African Americans. Sadly, many of these stereotypes have evolved and endured into modern times—echoes of the Buck, the Sapphire, and the Tom can still be seen in the Thug, Angry Black Woman, and Magical Negro stereotypes common in today’s films and television shows.

This resource is designed for use in U.S. History, English Language Arts, Humanities, and Media/Film Studies classes.

The documentary Birth of a Movement explores many issues surrounding the history of racism in the United States, and the film and accompanying material may be offensive or traumatic to some students. Before teaching this material it is important to establish a classroom environment where these issues can be discussed respectfully. For additional guidance on teaching about race, racism, and other difficult topics, consult the “Let’s Talk” educator’s guide from Teaching Tolerance.

Before watching the video segments, students should be familiar with the Jim Crow era. Introduce the videos by informing students that they will be learning about one of the most influential and controversial films of all time, D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation.

Post the discussion questions in the “Support Materials” section and ask students to take notes on their answers to prepare for a full class discussion. This may require multiple viewings of the video segments.

Students may read the background essay before or after watching the video segments. Once they have read the essay and watched the videos, hold a class discussion using the questions provided in the “Support Materials” section.

Extend the learning by asking students to research stereotypes about other groups—women, East Asians, Latinos, Muslims, the LGBTQ community, low income Whites, etc. Each student should select a specific stereotype and answer the following questions in a short essay:

What is the stereotype? What characteristics does it have?

Where and when did the stereotype originate?

How is this stereotype perpetuated? What books/films/television shows/other media sources have promoted this stereotype? Which individuals (fictional or non-fictional) represent this stereotype in popular culture?

How does this stereotype negatively impact members of the group? Does the stereotype impact the group positively? If so, how?